Laundry Day: The Prequel
by Zofie C. Field
Summary: Rick Castle vs. The dryer.  A prequel to Laundry Day.


_A prequel to Laundry Day  
><em>

_Note: None of these characters are mine._

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><p><strong>Laundry Day: The Prequel<strong>

He had planned to take her out to dinner. There was a secluded Thai restaurant about four blocks from her apartment. It was late on a Tuesday, so he figured they'd pretty much have the place to themselves. It would have been private and intimate and ridiculously romantic.

Instead he's stepping out of her shower (regrettably alone) and pulling on the baggy sweat pants he keeps here at her apartment. The day had started sunny, but as they walked from the precinct towards the restaurant, a storm had rolled in with astonishing speed. By the time they reached her block, they were completely sodden, and they had to forgo the final four blocks standing between them and dinner.

The torrential rain outside may have washed away his romantic night out, but (ever the eternal optimist), he figures he still has a fighting chance. Who knows? The power might go out, and there's something to be said for a glass of wine and candle light. 

Castle stepped out of the bathroom, and took a quick glance around the bedroom and down the hall to make sure Kate was elsewhere. He could hear her whistling softly somewhere near the kitchen, so he figured he had a moment or two alone. Smiling to himself, he turned to the chair where he'd thrown his suit only to have the smile slide off his face immediately. The chair was empty.

Trying not to panic, he bent to check under the chair, then under the bed, then on the back of the bathroom door, then in the closet. The suit was nowhere to be found.

Castle leaned his head out into the hallway and called, "Kate? Did you happen to see where I threw my suit?"

"I threw our wet clothes in the dryer. They should be done in a minute or two," Kate called back.

Castle swore quietly to himself, and tiptoed down the hallway as quietly as he could. He peeked around the corner into the kitchen. Kate was standing at the stove, her back to him. He glanced across the living room, sizing up the distance between his current location and the dryer.

Feeling a little foolish (and a little like a ninja) Castle began to inch his way across the living room, glancing back often towards Kate. He was nearly there, when he tripped and stubbed his toe on an ottoman. Kate whipped around, but he managed to duck behind the sofa just in time.

Finally, he made it into the small laundry room. Quickly he opened the dryer and started pulling clothing out piece by piece. He shook each piece carefully over an empty basket, before tossing it on top of the washer. He paid special attention to his suit pants, turning the pockets inside out and shaking vigorously, but to no avail. Two minutes later, the dryer was empty, and he was getting nervous.

He paused briefly to check that Kate was still occupied in the kitchen, before squatting down to peer into the dryer. He ran his hands around the inside edges, and used his phone to illuminate the dark space, but alas, it was truly empty.

Shaking his head, he stood and dragged the clothes on top of the washer into the empty laundry basket. Setting the basket on the floor, he knelt down and began to rifle through the clothes again.

"Missing something?"

Castle spun around to see Kate leaning against the doorway, looking quizzical.

"Uh, yeah," he said, searching for a suitable explanation for his odd behavior. "I left a note in my pocket, and um, something else. It was, uh, very important. Just thought I'd see if it survived the rain?" he said uncertainly. '_Are you asking or telling, Rick?' _his pedantic inner grade teacher asked.

"Here, let me help." Kate knelt down beside him and began to sift through the clothes.

He watched her sort the clothes, racking his brain for an excuse to get her out of the room again.

"Did you remember to turn the stove off?" he asked hopefully.

"Mmmhmm," Kate murmured, turning a sock inside out.

As she violently shook the sock, Castle caught a glint of something in the vicinity of her left hand. He reached out quickly and caught her hand in his. On her fourth finger was a thin platinum band with a single diamond. He stared at it for a moment before looking up at her, his face a priceless mixture of hope and confusion.

"Oh, wait a moment," Kate said as innocently as she could manage. She reached into her pocket with her free hand, producing a small slip of paper which she held up to show him. "Is this the very important note you've been looking for?"

She grinned as he shook his head in disbelief, retrieving the paper from her. In his own hand writing read _I love you Kate Beckett – Will you marry me?_

He'd filled several slips of paper over the last few days with speeches and metaphors he'd planned to say to her. But when it came down to it this morning, he'd chosen the simplest of all of the papers to stow in his pocket with the ring.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a flash of lightening and the lights in the apartment flickered out. He chucked into the pitch darkness.

Castle stood, and, still not letting go of her left hand, pulled Kate up with him. He twirled her once and pulled her close, whispering in her ear.

"You find the wine. I'll find the candles. Then I'll show you how I was planning to ask."

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


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